a blog about movies and politics by noah gittell

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Monthly Archives: April 2012

“You guys live in your own little world with your heads stuck up your Capitol Hill asses.” – the frozen yogurt guy While I laughed several times during tonight’s second episode of “Veep,” HBO’s new comedy about a gaffe-prone vice-president, the episode basically rehashed the dynamic from pilot and added a few positive tweaks. Vice-President…

It’s difficult enough to make a successful commercial movie that affects the way we think about political or social issues. In general, people go to the movies to escape the stresses of the modern world, not be confronted with a reflection of them. But if you are going to make a movie that pushes political…

In this series, Movies That Matter, we examine films that have affected public policy. See the last MTM here. Yesterday, the Senate Sub-Committee on Water and Wildlife held a hearing on S. 810, the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act. The bill, known by its awkward acronym GAPCSA, will end the use of chimpanzees…

In a scene from a season 2 episode of “Curb your Enthusiasm,” Larry David is pitching a new show idea to his old colleague Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She suggests they pitch it to HBO, and when Larry asks why, she tells him that she wants to curse. “I want to say ‘fuck,’” Louis-Dreyfus says, “and ‘cocksucker.’”…

“Must be awful lucky to see colors like that. I bet they don’t know how lucky they are.” – Pleasantville For the last three decades, conservatives running for office have been painting a vision of the America that looks a lot like the 1950s. Ronald Reagan, an actual movie star from the era, was the…

The news was announced this morning, and the internet fan sites are already lit up with outrage. Francis Lawrence will direct “Catching Fire,” the sequel to “The Hunger Games” beginning production later this year. Lawrence has three movies under his belt: 2005’s “Constantine,” 2007’s “I am Legend,” and 2011’s “Water for Elephants.” Producers must feel…

We’re counting down the Top Five Most Liberal Movies of All-Time. Click here to read about #5 and #4. But now it’s on to… 3. “The ‘Burbs” I think of 1989-1991 as Tom Hanks’ magic years – after his breakout role in “Big” and before he started to move away from comedy with “Philadelphia.” Along with “Joe…